The cliffhanger was not as good as first season's "what is in the hatch?" cliffie, but it was definitely better than season two's "The others captured them" cliffie. I do not want to wait for it any longer! Dang you, addictive TV shows!

BTW, if you have an iPod Video, they released a LOST game on iTunes yesterday. I started playing it, and it will definitely tide me over until the new season.

Question: What does the strike mean for Lost? Any idea how many episodes they finished pre-strike? Is it still scheduled to air some time in February? — Mike

Ausiello: Why do I suddenly feel as if I'm talking to myself, Mike? Why do I also suddenly feel like I'm not going to like what I have to say? At least I know the answer to that second part — it's because I don't like what I have to say. If the strike extends into the new year and beyond, there is a chance ABC may opt to delay the new season until the fall. Or worse yet, February 2009. Another scenario has the network simply airing the eight episodes already in the can this February as originally planned — something Team Darlton would not be in favor of. Says Lost cocreator Carlton Cuse, "Damon [lindelof] and my concern about running the [eight] episodes we will have made is that it will feel a little like reading half a Harry Potter novel, then having to put it down. There is a mini-cliff-hanger at the end of Episode 8, but it's like the end of an exciting book chapter; it's not the end of the novel. Damon and I didn't write [the ending of Episode 8] differently [with the looming strike in mind]. We wrote it to be the ending of Episode 8." In any case, he concedes that the decision to hold or air the episodes isn't ultimately theirs. "It's really [ABC honcho Steve MacPherson's] call," Cuse notes, adding, "No one was happy with the six-episode run last season."

Lost Survivor Guide to Air February 7th Immediately Before Return Episode 1/23/07

A NEW LOOK AT THE LIVES OF SOME OF THE SURVIVORS OF OCEANIC FLIGHT 815 -- AND A CLOSER INSPECTION OF THE ISLAND THEY ARE STRANDED ON -- WILL BE REVEALED IN ANTICIPATION OF THE RETURN OF THE SECOND ACT OF "LOST'S" THIRD SEASON, ON "LOST SURVIVOR GUIDE," FEBRUARY 7 ON ABC

The Special is Hosted by "Lost" Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse

ABC once again invites new and avid "Lost" viewers to take another look at one of the most talked about and critically acclaimed shows. "Lost Survivor Guide" will explore the series in a way that will bring new viewers up to date -- but which current viewers will also find illuminating - in anticipation of the return of the second act of the series' third season. From the back stories of some of the most interesting characters on television to the mysteries of the island, "Lost Survivor Guide" will provide an insightful glimpse into the lives of some of the survivors of the doomed Oceanic Airlines flight 815, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Hosted by "Lost" executive producers Damon Lindelof (also a co-creator of the show) and Carlton Cuse, the special will be told in a linear fashion, culminating from pieces of the back stories revealed over multiple episodes in the series, "Lost Survivor Guide" focuses on the flashbacks of a core of characters -- illustrating who they were and what they were doing before the crash, and how the island has changed their lives, for better or worse. In addition, the island itself will be explored - culled from events that have taken place - which may reveal some of its secrets that might have been missed upon first viewing.

I remember this. That show was mostly a clip show of what happened in the first two and a half seasons. It was ABC's attempt to sell ads and place it before the launch of the rest of the 16 episodes of the season. The first eight of S3 aired in the fall. This is not in the DVD for Season 3.